Letters

You’d never know by the chronic whine of gas-powered leaf blowers that they’re banned in the Town of Southampton through the summer.

After a morning with stereophonic leaf blowers, I called Town Hall to check that they were actually banned. Yes, they are — and there’s an SOS complaint on the town website to report leaf blower noise. It requires a photo, address and business name. I assumed the town would remind them of the ban.

Instead, SOS inquiries were closed without follow-through, because it was too late. They need to “catch them in the act.”

Council member Michael Iasilli informed me that I could call nonemergency Code Enforcement. If the police went to the site, and if the leaf blower was still being used, they could follow through. That’s a lot of ifs, and yielded nothing.

Where is the logic of directing taxpayers to fill out a form with no follow-through? Why use taxpayer dollars to create the form in the first place? Why have a law that’s not enforced? Why care?

Inefficient two-stroke engines spew chemicals into the environment, disturb nature and harm landscapers’ health.

The shrill sound disrupts wildlife, habitat and damages eardrums of the landscaper. At 90 to 100 decibels, it is loud enough to cause permanent damage.

If we live here to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us, can we tolerate sand in the driveway? Or a rogue fallen leaf?

As stewards of the land, we might consider the bigger picture. The North American Bird Conservation Initiative reported in March that bird populations continue to decline, beyond the journal Science’s eye-opening research documenting the loss of a third of the bird population since 1970. What birds can raise fledglings with the gas exhaust and noise?

While walking my dog, we pass weekly landscapers. What was once a quiet neighborhood is now a haven for house flippers. It’s not uncommon for people to blow sand off driveways and into the street. The wind blows it back. The next week, they’ll do it again. Sisyphean profit.

Homeowners receive notifications about pollutant collections, dark sky rules and traffic blocks in Southampton. Why not communicate the gas-powered blower ban? Additionally, the police could capitalize on the $250 to $5,000 tickets. A quick drive around on a weekday morning would net impressive profit for the town, while restoring balance to the environment.

As I type, three gas-powered leaf blowers have been droning through my open windows. The sea breeze would be peaceful, if it weren’t for the noise.

And there’s a fourth one revving up.

Here’s hoping that readers consider reminding neighbors and landscapers of the ban, and why it matters.

Sarah Alford

Sag Harbor